FAQ’s

Yes. St. Vincent de Paul Center is fully licensed by the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois.

Yes! St. Vincent de Paul Center is proud to be accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). NAEYC accreditation represents the mark of quality in early childhood education and means that our program meets the NAEYC 10 standards of excellence.

Yes. To be a teacher at St. Vincent de Paul Center, all teachers must have at least 30 credit hours of early childhood education courses. Additionally, most of our teachers have an Associate’s degree, and many have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree. We currently exceed the teacher credential standards of NAEYC and the Chicago Public Schools Community Partnership Program. Our teachers also have significant experience in education and working with children.

We have an early childhood education program (3 months – 3 years), a pre-kindergarten program (3-5 years), a before/after school program (5-13 years) and a full-day summer camp program.

The early childhood education and pre-kindergarten programs are full-time, 5-days per week programs for working parents or those who are in school full-time. Our school-age program during the school year is part-time (before and after school with bus transportation to and from school).

We are open from 7am – 6pm on weekdays. We are closed on major holidays and for one week at the end of the summer for a teacher break and professional development.

We welcome parents and their children to tour the center any weekday at 10:30 am or by appointment by calling (312) 943-6776, ext. 2142. We recommend that you bring your child with you so that both of you can see if our program is right for you.

Yes, we have open enrollment throughout the year based on availability for the age group. Parents can call (312) 943-6776, ext. 2142 to discuss eligibility and whether there is a waiting list for the age group.

Yes. Parents must be working or in school full-time to qualify for services. We also require that children in the early childhood education and pre-kindergarten programs live in the Chicago city limits. We encourage you to contact our admissions department at (312) 943-6776, ext. 2142, to discuss the requirements to determine if you are eligible for services. You can also visit our Admissions Information page on our website for more information.

St. Vincent de Paul Center has an open door policy for our parents. You can stop by at any time and you do not need to call us beforehand. The only time we would like to know ahead of time is if you are going to feed your baby so that we know not to feed him/her right before you come.

St. Vincent de Paul Center will only release a child to the child’s parents or someone that the parents have named as an approved pick-up person. The approved pick-up people must be listed upon registration or by calling ext. 2143. We will always ask to see a pick-up card and a photo identification. In addition to this, the entry doors are limited and people entering the building must show a pick-up card at the front lobby desk to proceed to the child’s classroom. All of St. Vincent de Paul Center’s teachers and employees have been fingerprinted and have had background checks.

The major transition occurs in September of each year. In August, we will have children visit their new rooms to get acquainted with their new teachers and environment. Additionally, on occasion throughout the year, children may be moved to an older room. The children are usually eager and ready for this move because they are going to a new room that is stimulating and exciting. The curriculum is getting more challenging and they will be encouraged to learn and try new things. To help with the transition, St. Vincent de Paul Center will encourage the child to visit the new classroom before he/she moves to get acquainted with the children and teachers. Parents will also be a part of the transition process.

Yes, we purchase and prepare all meals for children. We believe that proper nutrition is critical in a child’s development and we encourage children to try all foods.

Parents are asked to keep us informed about any allergies that appear and will need to complete an allergy action plan with their doctor so that we can keep it on file along with appropriate medication. We post all food allergies in the classrooms with the teacher and with our food service staff so that appropriate substitute meals can be offered.

Families are given 2 weeks of vacation each year (starting in September). We ask that parents notify Administrative Services of their vacation dates by completing a vacation form and submitting it to office 143. Parents should call ext. 2143 immediately to notify us when their child is sick and will not be in attendance.

Our first concern is the health and safety of our children. Every parent is required to keep their child’s immunizations, physicals, and tests up to date. We require that parents provide us with a current medical form completed by a doctor and keep us informed (in writing) of any updates. If a child is not able to receive any immunizations at the required age (due to illness or another reason), we ask that the parents obtain a note from the doctor indicating at what age the child will receive them.

Tuition is due weekly on Mondays. Parents do not pay tuition during the teacher break/professional development week we are closed at the end of the summer.

St. Vincent de Paul Center is contracted with the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) and will assist qualifying parents in obtaining IDHS child care assistance.

No. St. Vincent de Paul Center will assist you directly to apply for child care assistance through IDHS.